A Russian missile slammed into a hotel hosting British and American aid workers in Volodymyr Zelensky’s home city of Kryvyi Rih late last night.
At least four people were killed and 31 injured as the Iskander ballistic projectile erupted in a large, orange fireball at the moment of impact.
A flurry of other shocking clips showed how emergency responders were pulling limp bodies from the rubble as the roof and facade of Kryvyi Rih’s ‘Central Hotel’ completely caved in.
Smoke billowed from the top of the hotel and nearly all its windows appeared to have been blown out as fire engines and ambulances descended on the scene.
Emergency crews deployed a crane to reach the upper floors of the five-storey building, entering through the gaping hole left by Moscow’s missile.
Rescuers are still searching this morning for anyone trapped in the debris, officials said.
A group of humanitarian organisation volunteers from Ukraine, the US and Britain had checked into the hotel just before the strike but survived after taking shelter quickly, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a nightly address.
‘Unfortunately, four people were killed in the attack,’ he wrote on Telegram. ‘We must not pause in putting pressure on Russia to stop this war and terror against life.’
The strike came hours after the US suspended intelligence sharing with Ukraine as Donald Trump seeks to force Zelensky into signing an exploitative minerals deal with Washington and enter peace talks with Russia.
Without US intelligence, Ukraine’s capacity to track and shoot down Russian missiles and drones is likely to be significantly diminished, not to mention its ability to deploy Western missiles on key targets.
A fire truck is parked outside a destroyed building following a Russian missile strike
A fire burns in a destroyed building following a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine March 5, 2025
Rescuers carry a wounded person at the site of a hotel building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih
British and US citizens narrowly escaped injury in the strike, which came the same day American officials announced they were pausing intelligence sharing with Ukraine
Kryvyi Rih, which sits some 70 kilometres (43 miles) northwest of the current frontline in southern Ukraine, has been a frequent target of drones and missiles since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.
Fourteen of the 31 injured in the strike on the Central Hotel last night were in a serious condition, according to a statement by Serhiy Lysak, governor of Dnipropetrovsk region where Kryvyi Rih is located.
Rescuers could be heard shouting and calling out in an attempt to raise a response from people buried beneath the debris in dramatic footage shared to the Telegram messaging app.
In addition to the hotel, 14 apartment buildings, a post office and 12 shops were also damaged, the governor said.
The latest attack on Dnipropetrovsk region, which Russian forces are clawing their way towards, was part of an overnight barrage of drones and missiles launched by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
Ukraine’s military said two Iskander ballistic missiles and 112 drones targeted towns and cities across the country overnight.
Air defence units downed 68 of the Russian drones, the air force said, but dozens more got through.
Drones struck energy infrastructure in the southern region of Odesa, injuring two people, governor Oleh Kiper said.
In the northeastern city of Sumy, a 32-year-old man working as a security guard was killed when a warehouse was heavily damaged in a drone strike, according to police.
Other projectiles hit Kharkiv, causing major damage to a nine-storey residential building and a nursery, according to local officials.
In the wake of the attack, Kyiv officials issued a torrent of statements condemning the ongoing hostilities and calling on its Western allies to provide concrete security guarantees ahead of ceasefire talks with Russia.
‘Every day Russia demonstrates that it is ready to continue the war and terrorise civilians,’ Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal wrote.
‘That is why Ukraine needs strong security guarantees to ensure a lasting and just peace.’
A view from the damaged site after the Russian missile strike on Kryvyi Rih
A view shows damaged vehicles at the site of a hotel building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine, March 6, 2025
A fire burns in a destroyed building following a Russian missile strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine March 5, 2025
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, March 4, 2025
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation, in Paris, France, March 5, 2025
The US, which under President Joe Biden provided Ukraine with a limited but steady flow of military and humanitarian aid, has now cut off all aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv under President Trump.
Those decisions came after a highly publicised spat between the American and Ukrainian Presidents during a televised meeting at the White House last week.
Ukraine and US talks are now said to be back underway amid a flurry of diplomacy, but Washington appears to have upheld the decision to withhold all aid and intelligence, even as Russian troops continue to grind westward.
In the meantime, France has declared it is willing to fill the void left by the US and will provide military intelligence to Kyiv.
‘Our intelligence is sovereign… with our own capacities,’ French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu told France Inter radio early today.
‘We are passing this on to the Ukrainians.’
That statement followed a presidential address by Emmanuel Macron who declared Paris would accelerate its delivery of aid to Kyiv and would also consider extending the protection offered by its nuclear arsenal to its European partners amid concerns the US will no longer uphold continental security.
‘I want to believe that the United States will stand by us. But we have to be ready if that is not the case,’ Macron said.
Now, almost all the leaders of EU nations are meeting at a summit in Brussels today where they are expected to endorse bold new measures to dramatically increase defence spending and pledge support for Ukraine in the presence of Zelensky.
Earlier this week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled proposals to mobilise up to €800 billion euros for European defence, including a plan to borrow up to €150 billion euros to lend to EU governments.